IN THE BRITISH ISLANDS. 123 



ous, and others red, the latter tint often being distinctly observable 

 in the central area. It is rare that the ground colour is entirely red, but 

 I have such specimens in ray series. Compared with the polymorphic 

 f estiva, this is a constant species, but still it varies considerably within 

 narrow limits. The red-brown form, as described above, is the type, the 

 commoner grey-brown form is the borealis of Zetterstedt, whilst there is 

 another most striking form, greyish-brown in colour as in borealis, but 

 without the dark quadrate spot. I am doubtful whether Zetterstedt's 

 diducta, which he compares with Cerastis rubiginea, is a var. of conflua, 

 but, as it is treated as such by recent Scandinavian authors, I have given 

 Zetterstedt's description. There is some doubt whether Guenee, like 

 Newman, simply looked upon small f estiva as conflua, for he writes : " It 

 is always very rare. I believe that it is found in the environs of Paris, 

 for in M. Boisduval's collection there is a specimen mixed with his 

 festiva, and which he, no doubt, reared with them " (' Noctuelles,' vol. 

 v., p. 332). Boisduval's fig. 3 ('Icones,' Plate 83) is a real Icelandic- 

 looking conflua, with " dark inner and outer margin, central and costal 

 areas slightly ochreous, pale stigmata, and dark red quadrate spot 

 between them." 



a. var. borealis, Zett. The greyish-brown form of conflua is thus 

 described by Zetterstedt : " Alis anticis brunnescenti griseis, maculis 

 ordinariis dilutioribus interstitio nigro-brunneo, strigaque intra mar- 

 ginem posticum pallida ; posticis f usco-griseis. $ . (Long. al. exp. 

 1| poll.) Noctua borealis Dalm.'w Hit" " Hab. in Lapponia. Mus. D. 

 Schonherri, e quo mini ad huic Faunae inserendam missa (Lapponia 

 borealis)." " Similis Noct. brunnea!, Fabr., Treits., Hiibn. f. 121, seu N. 

 frayarice, Borkh. ; sed certe distincta. Multo minor, alee anticas ad 

 costam minime flavo-maculatae, ut in brunnea, et posticae grisese uni- 

 colores, nee fascia ad marginem posticum fusca. Alaa anticse f usco- 

 grisescentes, maculis ordinariis pallidioribus, interstitio inter illas 

 macula triangulari obscure brunnea toto repleto, et macula ejusdum 

 coloris ac fere formae juxta maculam ordinariam interiorem versus 

 basin. Striga postica tenuis pallida, vix undulata. In ipso summo 

 margine puncta minutissima fusca. OBS. Hanc et sequentes species 

 Hadence amandavi, quoniam, ut mihi videtur, majorem cum hoc 

 genere quam cum aliis habent affinitatem. Dubius tamen inserui " 

 (* Insecta Lapponica,' 94:1). 



fi. var. obsoleta, mihi. Like var. borealis, but somewhat paler in 

 ground colour and without the dark quadrate spot between the stigmata. 

 Anterior wings grey-brown, the stigmata still paler, the transverse 

 lines &c., as in var. borealis. This form appears to be comparatively 

 rare, at any rate it is badly represented in my series from Shetland. 



y. var. diducta, Zett. This var. is thus described by Zetterstedt: 

 " Cerastis diducta : alis subnitidis griseis, anticis fascia latissima ferru- 

 gineo-testacea, punctis costalibus pallidis, maculis ordinariis obsoletis. 

 $ ." " Habitat in Lapponia." it is then compared with C. rubiginea. 

 Of diducta we read : " Framvingarne gragulatiga, med otydliga 

 teckningar, pyramidalflacken knappast markbar. Typ ex a Svenska 

 Kiksmusei entomologiska afdelning, Tillsammans med foregaende " 

 (' Entomologisk Tidskrift, 1885, p. 53). 



Noctua, Linn., rubi, View. 



The type of this species is thus described by Vieweg : " Of the 

 size of Noctua (Hadena) pisi. The ground colour of the fore wings ia 



